Variable-speed driving-gear.



No. 639,548. Patented Dec. I9, I899. T. C. FIELD.

VARIABLE SPEED DRIVING GEAR.

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2 Sheets- (Application filed Apr. 10 1899.) (No Model.)

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No. 639,548. Patented Dec. I9, I899. T. C. FIELD. I VARIABLE SPEED DRIVING GEAR.

(Application filed Apr. 10, 1899.) (No, Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS co. Pno'ruuma, WASNINUTON. n. cy

UNITED STATES PATENT 'DFFIQE.

TELFORD CHARLES FIELD, OF SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND.

VARIABLE-SPEED DRIVING-GEAR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 689,548, dated December 19, 1899.

Application filed April 10, 1899. Serial No. 712,447. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, TELFORD CHARLES FIELD, naval architect, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at28 Denzil avenue, Southampton, in the county of Southampton, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Variable-Speed Driving- Gear for Cycles or Motor-Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in that type of variable-speed driving-gear for cycles and motor-vehicles in which an epicyclic train is employed, and has for its object to provide a compact, simple, and effective two-speed gear for cycles and motor-vehicles; and it consists in an improved mechanism which allows the vehicle-Wheel to revolve ahead of the driven wheel when upon the high speed and by which the power and speed of the gear can be changed, if desired, while the machine is in motion-namely, the gear can be changed from a low or more powerful gear for hill-climbing or for use against a strong head-wind to a high or less powerful gear for speed on the level or the reverse of thisnamely, from a high to a low gear. The gear also provides a free pedal or crank, and the pedals can be held by the feet of the rider in any position for coasting, permitting the vehicle-wheel to revolve ahead independently of the chain or driven wheel. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is averticalsection of my improved wheel-hub and mechanism. Fig. 2 is an end view showing the roller ratchet-wheel. Fig. 3 is an end sectional view taken at x as, Fig. 1; and Figs. 1 and 1 show in elevation and plan a device for locking the loose cone of the ball-bearing mechanism after adjustment. Fig. 4 is a side elevation shown in two parts broken off of the brake for changing the gear.

Similar letters of reference denote similar parts throughout the several views.

The invention has been chiefly worked out in connection with chain-driven cycles, and the gear can be applied to existing machines of the ordinary safety type.

On applying the gear-brake the gear changes from slow toquick, the. work of the brake being either to hold the central toothed wheel of the epicyclic train, and thereby drive the cycle-Wheel by means of the train, or to leave it free to rotate on its axis and be inopera= tive. The brake also acts as a brake on the free pedal till the high gear is reached,when ordinary back-pedaling can be applied.

In the wheel-hub and mechanism illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings, a denotes the axle of the back wheel of an ordinary safety-bicycle, and b is a sleeve mounted thereon and carried by and running on ballbearings b. c is the hub chain-wheel, driven by a chain from the chain-wheel on the crankaxle of the bicycle. The wheel 0 is fixed, screwed, and held on one end of the sleeve 1) and has a flange c, forming a dish on its inner face. 6 denotes the hub-barrel of the cycle-wheel, running on ball-bearings e, carried by'the fixed cone e and adjustable cone c c is a device for locking the cone c after adjustment. The cone, being provided with notches a, can be tightened or loosened through the opening 6 in the chain-wheel c by means of a pin and hammer, and thereby the ball-bearings adjusted without removing the hub from the fork, and then the teeth 6 of the device 6 take into such notches and lock the cone 9 e are the usual flanges on the hub-barrel e, to which the wheel-spokes are attached. h denotes a roller ratchet-wheel which is formed on one end of the hub e and is shown in end view in Fig. 2. rollers of the roller ratchet wheel, which when in gear bind between the flange c' of the wheel 0 and the inclined parts h of the wheel h and when the wheel his running free lie in the sockets h On the other end of the hub ethere is attached an inside toothed I annulus or wheel j, which is concentric with the sleeve b, and on the end of this sleeve b there is an outer sleeve t', having a disk t". On this disk 1', carried by the spindles and supported by the ring '6 are loose toothed planet-wheels 70, which gear with .the toothed annulus on the hub e. Surrounding and free to revolve on the sleeve ithere is a cen tral toothed sun-wheel m, which gears with the loose toothed planet-wheels 7c. These wheels j on together form an epicyclic train. The wheel m is mounted on a boss or sleeve n, concentric with and free to revolve on the h are the sleeve 2'. The sleeve n isprovided with a disk p, having a flange p for a band friction-brake, by which the Wheel m is held to bring into action the high-speed gear. The ratio of the increase of the speed of the hub and cycle wheel over the chain-driven wheel is dependent upon the difference between the diameter of and number of teeth in the held wheel m and the diameter and number of teeth in the toothed annulus or wheel j, fixed on the hub e-namely, larger diameter and more teeth on the held wheel on will give a higher speed to the annulus j and cycle-wheel and less diameter and fewer teeth will give a lower speed, and by increasing or reducing the number of teeth in the chain drivingwheel on the crank-axle of the bicycle the two gears are raised or lowered simultaneously.

With reference to Fig. ether-e is illustrated a band friction-brake and brake-actuating mechanism which is shown as atype of brake suitable to be used in connection with my two-speed gear shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3; but I would have it understood that any other known gear may be used to brake or hold the disk 13 and wheel m, and thereby change the speed-gear.

In Fig. 4, .9 denotes part of the frame of a cycle. 19 is the strap or band of the brake,con nected to and worked by the lever 15. u is the brake-actuating rod, connected through the bell-crank levers it to the screw-rod c, which passes through the boss 1) and is worked and the' brake applied by turning the screwed lever-handle w.

The gear according to myinvention is operated ifi the following manner: When the brake is off, the wheel m runs loose on the sleeve 2', and the wheels j k revolve with the hub e, which is revolved on the low gear direct from the crank by means of the roller ratchet-wheel 7a, driven by the chain-wheel c. In coasting, a free pedal is obtained, as the ratchet-wheel h overruns the chain-wheel 0; but by applying the bandbrake and checking the toothed wheel m the band-brake acts as a brake on the wheel-hub e, and the speed of the machine is checked without using the ordinary brake, and as the gear-brake is put on the amount of brake-power exerted on the pedals by the feet is regulated until the high gear is reached, when ordinary backpedaling can be used. The holding by the brake of the Wheel m brings the epicyclic train and high gearinto action, as the chain wheel 0, through the sleeve 1), revolves the planetwheels 7:- around the sun wheel m, thereby revolving the hub e and the cyclewheel on the high gear and speed by means of the toothed annulusj.

It will be seen that with this gear the rider can drive the machine with a high gear or low gear, can coast with free pedals in any position, can check the speed by applying the brake,and can back-pedal when the high gear is on or reached.

I would have it clearly understood that although I have shown and described in Fig. 4 a brake suitable for use with my mechanism any other known brake or device that will hold or look the wheel on may be used;

also, that I do not limit the ratchet-gear to the particular construction shown, as any ordinary toothed ratchet-wheel and pawl arrangement may be used that will allow the hub and cycle wheel to revolve at a speed greater than the speed of the chain-wheel or revolve when the chain-wheel, and therefore the pedals, is at rest; but I prefer to use the roller ratchet-gear I have shown in the drawings, as it is noiseless.

I would also have it understood that although I have shown and'described an epicylic-train gear to increase the speed between the chain-wheel and the hub and cycle wheel any other known arrangement of epicylictrain or sun-and-planet gear in which one toothed wheel held or locked causes another toothed wheel in connection with the hub and cycle wheel to impart a speed to said hub and cycle wheel in excess of the speed of the driven wheel may be used.

I would also have it understood that my two-speed mechanism, although shown applied to the back wheel of a chain -driven cycle, can be adapted to the front wheel of dirent-driven cycles or to the wheels of motorvehicles generally.

Having now described the nature of my said invention, I declare that what. I claim is-- 1. In a cycle or motor-vehicle change-gear, the combination with a wheel-hub and chainwheel having a roller-clutch ratchet, of a sleeve capable of turning in the hub on ballbearings, a disk having a sleeve mounted on one end of the sleeve in the hub, a plurality of planet-wheels mounted on spindles which project from said disk, a central or sun wheel mounted to turn upon said sleeve carrying the disk and meshing with the planet-wheels, a wheel or flange forming part of the sun-wheel, a friction-band engaging said wheel or flange, bell-crank levers connected with said band and with an actuating-rod, and an internallytoothed annulus on the end of the wheel-hub and meshing with the planet-Wheels, and adjusting means for the adj ustable cone, insertible through an opening in the said chainwheel, substantially as specified.

2. In a cycle, or motor-vehicle change-gear, the combination with a wheel-hub and chainwheel having a rollerclutch ratchet, of a sleeve arranged Within said hub and revoluble with the chain-wheel and projecting from one end of the hub, a disk adapted to turn with the sleeve, a plurality of planet-wheels mounted on spindles on said disk, a sun-wheel free to turn on the sleeve-bearin g of the disk, an internally-toothed annulus on the end of the hub, a friction-band drawn around a flange forming part of the sun-wheel, one or more bell-crank levers pivoted upon the frame sass-4e 5-3 cf the cycle, or vehicle and connected to the In testimony whereof I have hereunto set friction-band by actuating-rods, a screw-rod my hand in presence of two subscribing wit pivotally connected to one of the bell-crank nesses.

levers, and a lever-handled nut to turn on TELFORD CHARLES FIELD. 5 said screw-rod, the latter passing through a Witnesses:

boss on the frame, on which the nut rests, sub- FREDERICK JOHN OHEESBROUGH,

stantially as described. ARTHUR J AMES LEA. 

